Rangers Assign Gabe Perreault and Scott Morrow to Hartford

In a not-surprising move the New York Rangers have officially cut Gabe Perreault and Scott Morrow from their preseason roster, sending both down to Hartford.

We've seen the writing on the wall with Perreault for weeks, and despite his fantastic play in the preseason it probably makes the most sense to have him develop in the AHL. Mike Sullivan made it clear what he wants out of his third line, and who he wants there. Unlike Brennan Othmann—who decisively did not earn a spot out of camp—Perreault played well enough to merit some thought. But his development has to take priority. He will get first line minutes in Hartford, with top power play duties, and all the developmental run of being "the guy" on a professional hockey team. This is fine, if not disappointing.

Scott Morrow I have a much harder time with. Morrow outplayed two of the six guys who will be suiting up every night for the Rangers, if not three of them—specifically Urho Vaakanainen, who I don't think brings anything to the table that Morrow doesn't, and we're not even talking about the future upside.

If Sullivan was resigned to not start Morrow on a regular basis, then this was the only justifiable move. Morrow does not require waivers, and must play nightly to continue his development. I just don't understand how Sullivan could have watched the preseason and came away with the idea that Vaakanainen was a better option. Unlike Morrow he could have easily been a roaming seventh defenseman that slotted in and out as needed.

Sullivan—and the media—will tell you these decisions are not permanent. The media will tell you kids can always be called back up. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't. More often than not we know how this plays out.

For Perreault that's fine, this is the best for him in the long run. I can't say that about Morrow, and I think the messaging for him is rough at best.

The silver lining is Noah Laba is still with the big club, but we'll see if that lasts too.